The Wattpad to Movie pipeline is often taken as a joke. What becomes more interesting is when movies based on fanfiction start to gain more attention, such as the Fifty Shades of Grey series from the 2010s. Often, sites like Wattpad or fanfiction.net offer nocive writers a chance to gain a following with their fantasy stories. These stories range from mythical fantasy to sexual fantasy. What really caught my eye was when Anne Hathaway chose to star in a Harry-Styles fanfiction-inspired film from Amazon MGM Studios.

The Idea of You follows Solène, a 40-year-old divorcee who falls in love with a 24-year-old boy band star (Nicholas Galitzine) after meeting at Coachella. Despite being inspired by, or at least acting like, a teenage girl’s fantasy diary entry, the film takes itself very seriously. With the inclusion of Hathaway’s Oscar-winning talent, we are carefully heading into a new micro-trend of “premium” fan fiction. 

The author of the original novel, Robinne Lee, asserts that, despite initial claims, the film is both not fan fiction and not solely based on the famous singer Harry Styles. Despite this clarification, Galitzine’s Hayes Campbell, the tattooed British boyband heartthrob, is close enough of a comparison to Styles that one can’t help but call this film another glorified fanfiction. But to Lee’s defense, the true attempted core of this film is not necessarily the romance, but the idea that an older woman cannot and should not be with a younger man, according to societal standards. 

The film follows a predictable journey from Hathaway’s character first resisting the idea of being with a younger man, to being with him in secret, and finally having to choose between her family and all the added attention. In the wake of May-December’s popularity, this film again revisits relationships where the woman is deemed a predator. However, to be clear, this is not the same situation. Hathaway’s character forms a relationship with a consenting adult, who just so happens to be almost twenty years younger than her. 

Due to the convenience of paparazzi and social media, Solène is called disgusting, a cougar, a predator and “the worst mom in the world” all because of this innocent relationship. This is very similar to the relationship of her ex-husband and the assistant he left her for. The film is a classic example of societal hypocrisy when it comes to the double standards between men and women. It’s cool for an older guy to date a younger woman. It’s disgusting when an older woman dates a younger man.

Let’s not forget that this isn’t the first film to tackle the “older woman, younger man” trope. Unlike Sunset Boulevard (1950), The Graduate (1967), and the previously mentioned May December (2023), this film presents a much less complicated situation: two people love each other and they aren’t allowed to be together because of some societal box they were placed in. 

The film doesn’t say anything new about this idea nor does it leave a profound impact due to its classic rom-com “happy ending.” It’s a semi-enjoyable watch featuring two very good-looking people who fall in love. 

What I find to be more interesting is Hathaway’s commitment to a role that would seem below her. This is a straight-to-streaming film where Hathaway is the biggest name, by far, on the casting list, and, whether or not the author denies it, is perceived as fanfiction. 

In an interview with USA Today, Hathaway explains how this project “released something inside of [her].” It seems like the warm reception from the trailer release and at its SXSW premiere, that Hathaway made the right decision to join the project. It’s possible her star power elevated a film that almost turned into a joke amidst its rumored inspiration. 

Despite this not being the first film to deal with double standards, it’s obvious they still exist. If they didn’t exist, I doubt Hathaway would have felt so inspired to tell this story. So it’s possible that we need more from big stars like her to take on simple scripts to break into the simple minds of people who think age matters (between two consenting adults). With her talent and the seriousness between both leads to tell a compelling, heartfelt story, it’s no wonder this has been elevated from what was originally considered a low-ball fanfiction-type film.

I’m so glad Hathaway decided to return to romcoms and I am even more excited that she is doing the stories that matter to her. Go see for yourself why this is considered “premium” amongst other fanfic-to-screen films.

Review Courtesy of Sara Ciplickas

Feature Image Credit to Amazon MGM Studio via Variety